Women Hold Many Misconceptions About Baby-Making

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Many U.S. women hold misconceptions about the basics of
baby-making, a new study reveals.

In a Web-based survey of 1,000 women ages 18 to 40 from across
the United States, half of the respondents incorrectly believed
that having sex more than once per day would increase their
chances of getting pregnant, and more than one-third believed
that certain positions during intercourse would similarly boost
their chances.

The study also revealed that about 20 percent of women were
unaware that aging has a negative effect on reproductive success,
30 percent didn't know that exposure to a sexually transmitted
infection may impact their fertility, and 40 percent believed
women continue to make new eggs, rather than being
born with a finite supply, according to the study, published
today (Jan. 27) in the journal Fertility & Sterility.

"Advanced age is associated with increased risk for miscarriages,
as well as increased risk for having a pregnancy with genetic
abnormalities," said study researcher Dr. Lubna Pal, associate
professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at
Yale University.

"This was a highly concerning finding, that in a country such as
United States, and in a population which is Internet savvy, a
significant proportion of women are really not aware of the
basics." [5 Myths About Fertility
Treatments]

The results also suggested that many women were unaware of female
biology, Pal said. Forty percent did not know that
ovulation occurs 14 days before the next period. This
information is important both for women who want to conceive, and
those who want to avoid getting pregnant, Pal said.

The survey was designed to gauge participants' knowledge of
reproductive health through "false" or "true" questions. The
questions were in several categories, including misconceptions,
aging and factors that affect fertility.

The researchers found that 29 percent of women were unaware that
painful or irregular periods could be related to conditions that
could potentially be detrimental to their fertility, and 20
percent of women were unaware that
obesity could negatively affect fertility.

And along with gaps in knowledge about a healthy reproductive
system, the survey also revealed that women overestimate their
risk of infertility. In the United States,
an estimated 10 percent of the population has fertility
problems, whereas in the survey 40 percent of women expressed
concern about their ability to conceive.

Women in the survey were representative of the U.S. population in
this age group in terms of their racial and ethnic distribution,
income and education levels, according to the study. About 80
percent of the women said they were currently sexually active.
Twenty-three percent of women who didn't plan to become pregnant
were not using any form of birth control. Eighteen percent
reported using condoms, and 38 percent reported using some form
of hormonal method.

The researchers found that about half of women had never
discussed their reproductive health with a medical provider, and
about 30 percent visited their reproductive health provider less
than once a year or never.

Some of the misperceptions revealed by the survey are concerning,
but others don't have a major impact on the overall health of the
women, Pal said.

"Nonetheless these are misperceptions, and really for an educated
public with such easy access to correct information, there's no
room for such errors to be lingering around in our perceptions,"
she said.